


Happy New Year!

by swankyturnip76



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Elf Sportacus (LazyTown), Fae Robbie Rotten, First Kiss, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, NYC Mentioned, New Year's Eve, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 04:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13240437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swankyturnip76/pseuds/swankyturnip76
Summary: Sportacus invites himself over to Robbie's lair to watch the ball drop to ring in the new year. Unfortunately, Robbie thinks it's a stupid event and has other plans...plans that involve him being alone and sports elf-less. Fluff and a first kiss ensue!





	Happy New Year!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [indigorose50](https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigorose50/gifts).



"The whole thing is stupid."

"No it's not!" Stephanie shouted. "It's all very exciting! The crowds are always so energetic and it's fun listening to the bands perform and -"

"Ugh, they're all lip-singing anyway. And the crowds! Why would anyone want to wait _hours_ in the freezing cold packed in like a herd of cattle just to watch some stupid ball go down a pole?"

"What about the confetti that drops? I love seeing all the colors," Ziggy giggled. "It's so _magical_!"

"It's horrendous," Robbie argued, crossing his arms with a pout. "You all can waste your time watching that pitiful excuse for an extravaganza but I'm going to be quite busy."

"Working on disguises isn't the best way to ring in the new year," Trixie muttered under her breath.

"The children are right, Robbie!" Sportacus announced with his usual cheerfulness. "You should be doing something special to commemorate the end of the year. And since I've never seen this ball drop, let's watch it drop together!"

"What - what? No!" Robbie spluttered, backing away from the group. He held his hands up in a defensive stance. "The best way to greet the new year is by being _alone_."

"Oh come now, Robbie! It'll be fun!" And with that, Sportacus turned away from the villain and gestured for the kids to follow him for more winter activities in the snow.

Robbie was left there in stunned silence with no way of turning down the elf.

Sportacus was coming over for New Year's.

**XXXXXX**

Robbie had been working on his machines and contraptions obsessively since he returned from that fateful afternoon stroll. Working helped distract him and before long, hours had gone by and he had forgotten all about Sportacus's impromptu self-invitation. It wasn't until he heard a knock on his hatch around eleven o'clock that he remembered the earlier events of the day.

"Curses! I didn't actually think he would come over," Robbie grumbled to himself.

"Robbie, it's me, Sportacus! Please let me in!"

"I never actually said I wanted you to come over! You should stay out there and freeze for all I care."

"But Robbie, it's quite cold! And I brought popcorn!"

_Well. That changes things._

Robbie unlocked the hatch and Sportacus dropped down gracefully into the lair. His cheeks were probably red from the effort of traveling through the snow. But this _was_ Sportacus, after all. The elf was indestructible. Slinging the backpack off, Sportacus knelt down to open it and show Robbie the goods inside.

"See? I brought popcorn just like I said! And I also brought a large throw-over blanket we can share." Sportacus held out the popcorn to Robbie who took it cautiously.

"It's well past 8:08. Won't your airship freak out if you're not asleep? And where did you get this?"

"Stephanie gave me some. She said you would probably enjoy it, especially coated in butter and salt. And I _can_ be awake past then, you know."

No, Robbie really didn't. He had never seen Sportacus awake past then in the years that they had known each other.

Not wanting to give the little pink gremlin the higher ground for providing Sportacus with Robbie's favorite TV snack, Robbie merely _hmmp_ -ed and turned away. He had changed into comfortable purple pajamas before he had started tinkering and now he was ready to sink into his chair and not move for the rest of the night. Not bothering to extend any courtesy to his 'guest', Robbie left Sportacus on his own to find a suitable something to sit on. After removing his snow-covered boots, Sportacus looked around the room. There was a rather large bean bag chair across the room, which Sportacus maneuvered easily next to Robbie's chair.

"Would you like me to prepare the popcorn?"

Robbie eyed the elf suspiciously, not completely convinced that Sportacus wouldn't try to slip a celery stick or something into it. "I'll do it. You can turn on the TV. But we're not watching all that build-up nonsense for when the ball drops. The last thing I want to listen to are fake celebrities prattling on about nonsense I don't care about."

Smiling softly to himself as Robbie left the room, Sportacus flicked through the channels until he found a nature documentary on. The children had taught him how to work a TV and though Sportacus hardly ever watched the thing, he remembered that Robbie had a fondness for animal shows. As the documentary started, Sportacus listened to the sound of the popcorn popping in Robbie's kitchen. He could just glimpse Robbie moving around the kitchen, probably grabbing ingredients to make his popcorn extra unhealthy. Sportacus smiled again to himself. He had known it probably wasn't polite to invite himself over for the holiday, but the thought of Robbie spending another year alone bothered him. Everyone else in town had someone to share it with - someone to kiss or embrace when the midnight bell chimed and the confetti burst out. Sportacus wanted Robbie to feel loved too.

Robbie came back into the room a few moments later with a very large bowl of popcorn that was positively drenched in butter. Giving a contented sigh, Robbie sank into his chair with his prize. Sportacus chuckled to himself, happy to see Robbie so content, before focusing in on the way Robbie's face perked up as he realized what was on TV. The villain turned and couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"A nature show? I love these!"

_I know_ , Sportacus thought to himself, but he didn't say anything. Instead, the two settled into a companionable silence as the documentary progressed. Robbie, munching away happily on his popcorn, and Sportacus, content to be in the lair and not alone in his airship. Granted, he could have easily spent the evening with any of the kids and their families, but somehow, it was much nicer being here with Robbie.

As the documentary went on, Sportacus found himself just as fascinated as Robbie was. He never knew there were so many beautiful and interesting species on the planet! The only species other than elf that he had interacted with at length was...well...humans! It wasn't until the documentary was almost over that Sportacus's elf senses picked up Robbie's shivering. Turning to examine the villain, Sportacus asked, "Are you cold, Robbie?"

"Heat's broken," Robbie muttered to himself, not meeting the elf's eyes. "I've been meaning to fix it but I've been too lazy or preoccupied with inventions or disguises."

Sportacus brightened up. "Then it's a good thing I brought this blanket! Here, we can share!"

Robbie was dubious at first but the blanket was far bigger than any blanket had a right to be. It easily covered both the tall bean bag and Robbie's chair with extra fabric to go around. Surprised, Robbie didn't say anything as Sportacus flung it over both of them. Instead, he just tucked himself under it and let the almost instantaneous warmth soothe him. It felt really nice.

Glancing over at the elf, Robbie asked, "Are you covered? Is this okay?"

"This is really nice, Robbie," Sportacus replied, meeting the elf's eyes with a genuine smile. "Thank you for letting me come over."

_It's not like I had much of a choice_ , Robbie thought to himself but he wasn't going to say it out loud. Having Sportacus here without the annoying brats around was...kind of nice. They had had movie nights like this before, just the two of them, and times like these always made Robbie feel...not as lonely as usual. Robbie cleared his throat and looked back at the TV screen. He cursed the way Sportacus was so open about everything. It made him feel...trusted. Valued.

Shivering, and not because of the cold, Robbie pulled the blanket closer against him and focused on the TV.

The documentary ended well before midnight. Sportacus grabbed the remote and looked hopefully at Robbie with his best puppy dog eyes.

Sighing dramatically, Robbie relented, "Fiiiiine, turn on the stupid thing. I don't care."

Giving the villain a large smile in reply, Sportacus flicked back through the channels until they were both looking at Times Square.

"Ugh, look at all of those people. They're probably freezing their butts off out there while we're perfectly cozy right here."

"I wonder if they take home any of the confetti that falls. Ziggy made it sound like there's a lot that comes out!"

Robbie rolled his eyes. When it came to stuff like this, Sportacus could be as easily excitable as the kids. Turning to look at Sportacus, Robbie opened his mouth to make some smart comment when the sight of Sportacus watching the TV with a similar light in his eyes as he had had during the documentary caused Robbie to pause. Whatever singer was performing on stage had an assortment of lights going off behind them and the lights danced across Sportacus's face in beautiful colors.

Robbie felt something move around inside of him and he was pretty sure it wasn't the popcorn.

_I've felt this before.  
_

Swallowing uncomfortably, Robbie recognized the feeling. He had felt it on recently increasing amounts of occasions whenever the sports elf was involved. Usually Sportacus would save someone or be extra helpful for the kids or just show one of his stunning smiles and Robbie's stomach would be doing all kinds of flips. 

Stomping whatever _it_ was down into the tiny hole it had crawled out from, Robbie stubbornly turned his face away from Sportacus to look back at the TV. He was _not_ going to linger on _those_ kinds of feelings right now. However, nothing he saw on the TV was as interesting as watching the reflections dance across Sportacus. When he risked a glance back at Sportacus, he saw the elf was already looking at him.

Jumping in his chair, Robbie asked in a slightly higher pitch than normal, "What?"

Sportacus shrugged with a smile. "You don't seem as if you dislike this as much as you said you did."

Giving a huff, Robbie replied, "I still think this is a waste of time."

A few moments of silence passed before Sportacus asked, "Have you ever gotten a New Year's Eve kiss?"

"What - huh? You can't just _ask_ people that, Sportanosey!"

"Why not? You can ask me."

Robbie's face had gone an unusual shade of pink. "Be-because! Some people might not be comfortable diverging that kind of sensitive information!"

Sportacus looked as though he genuinely hadn't considered that. "Oh. I suppose you're right." His expression quickly changed to one of worry. "I'm sorry if it was inappropriate! I didn't mean -"

Robbie sighed but didn't meet his gaze. "No, no, it's fine. I'm not offended or anything. But...to answer your question...no, I haven't."

"Oh. I haven't either!"

The genuine perkiness with which he said that made Robbie raise a curious eyebrow at the elf. "Really? You've never been kissed on New Year's?"

"Nope," Sportacus replied, shaking his head. "In fact, I've never been kissed before. Or kissed anyone else for that matter. I've never really had someone I wanted to kiss before."

"Oh...oh...well...how about that." Robbie was truly flabbergasted. It was true that Lazytown wasn't very large but Robbie would have thought Sportacus would have found someone to admire either here or elsewhere. The elf was one big ball of lovable energy. Surely there had been suitors? The more Robbie thought about it though, the more he realized that he definitely did _not_ want to think about it.

"What about you? Do you know what kissing's like?"

Again, Robbie blushed furiously at the innocent question. Curse Sportaquestion and his constant wonder about the world.

"I know what it's _supposed_ to be like. Or...ya know...I've _imagined_ what it's supposed to be like. But, ah, no, I've never...umm...kissed anyone. I've never had anyone I've wanted to kiss. Same as you."

_Until recently._

Pouting at his own line of thinking, Robbie turned his entire body back to face the TV and hoped that the elf wouldn't ask any more embarrassing questions.

Unfortunately, tonight just wasn't his night.

"So if we kiss when the ball drops then it will be two firsts for both of us!"

Robbie died. That was it. His soul left his body and descended into whatever pit of hell wanted to swallow him up. This could not possibly be happening.

The elf really didn't just ask that.

He didn't!

Oh, but he did. And he was looking at Robbie with such a pure, innocent look of hope about him that Robbie felt all the blood drain from his face as a result.

"Sportacus, you can't just - I mean - that's entirely -" As Robbie spluttered to come up with a dignified response, the unimaginable happened.

The elf's smile touched his eyes and Sportacus seemed to glow.

"What, what did I do?" Robbie asked, instantly defensive.

"You called me 'Sportacus' - no nicknames attached."

"Well, you caught me off guard!" Robbie replied shrilly, turning away from the elf with a blush.

A gentle hand on his cheek startled Robbie as his face was gently pulled back to face Sportacus. The elf was leaning over the chair with his hand soft against Robbie's chin. Their eyes met and Robbie felt the air catch in his throat.

"We don't have to," Sportacus was whispering with an understanding smile reserved just for Robbie. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."

Robbie was vaguely aware that a countdown had started on the TV beside them but he wasn't giving it much attention. Time had seemed to slow down.

"I don't understand. Why would you want to waste your time, your holiday, your supposed _first kiss_ with me? I'm the town villain! Nobody likes me."

_Nine._

Sportacus shook his head slightly so that the back of his hat swayed. "Oh Robbie, no, that's not true.  _Everybody_ in town likes you. You are loved by so many people. Especially the children."

_Eight._

Robbie scoffed but Sportacus only lowered himself a bit more into Robbie's space so the villain was forced to keep looking at him.

"It's true, Robbie. And I think one day you'll realize it."

_Seven._

"Sometimes I think this town would be better off without me," Robbie whispered, trying to look away. "I'm always trying to chase you out but maybe _I'm_ the one who needs to leave."

_Six._

"Lazytown wouldn't be the same without you. You make everyone smile with your disguises and the children have so much fun when you're around to play with them."

_Five_.

"And what about you, Sportaloom? Why wouldn't you be happier with me gone? Your life would certainly be easier here."

_Four._

Now it was the elf's turn to blush. Sportacus hadn't taken his hand away from Robbie's face and the villain wasn't complaining.

"You're the only one who knows my secret, Robbie. You make me smile just as much, if not more, than you make the children smile. I love being around you. I know we live different lifestyles, but I think that's why I like being around you so much. You compliment me in a lot of ways and..."

_Three._

"And?"

Sportacus swallowed past the lump in his throat as he whispered, "And you mean a great deal to me. Please don't leave Lazytown. If you genuinely want to then I won't stop you. But I think you're so much better off here with all of us."

_Two._

"I think you're right, Sportaelf."

Sportacus leaned in closer until he could feel Robbie's breath against his face.

"Robbie, may I kiss you?"

_One._

"Only if you promise not to leave Lazytown either. At least...not this year."

Sportacus grinned and whispered, "Deal" against Robbie's lips. As the two shared their first kiss, cheers and music blared on the TV screen beside them. But Sportacus and Robbie were both oblivious to anything other than the feel of each other and how _right_ it felt.

Robbie still thought the holiday was stupid. _Deliciously_ stupid.

Happy New Year.

**Author's Note:**

> I discovered that popcorn has sugar in it (even without the butter and whatnot) so that's why Robbie doesn't offer Sportacus any. Please leave a review! Dedicated to my pal indigorose50 (indigowallbreaker on tumblr).


End file.
